
Class _"2£A&M 

Book ,T^- 

Copyright N° 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT, 



A LITTLE STUDY OF 
THE OBJECTIVE AND 
SUBJECTIVE MIND 



A 

CONDENSATION WITH COMMENTS 






o D * ! - ► .,« »' , ., 

BY 

ABBY JANE TAYLOR 



CHICAGO: 

JUSTITIA PUBLISHING COMPANY 
1903 



/ 



THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 


Two Copies 


Received 


APR 27 


1903 


Copyright 
CLA55 CU 

S <T 1 
con 


Entry 
XXo.No. 
8. j 






Copyright 1903 

B\ ABBV JANE TAYLOR 

All Rights Reserved 



INTRODUCTION. 

C, But little is claimed for this book, the con- 
tents of which were originally compiled and 
commented upon, in the form of a paper, to 
be read before a group of students. Requests 
came in that it should be published, and this 
has been done, in the hope that some who 
would not, at first, care to open the larger 
books upon this subject, may be sufficiently 
interested by this small one to continue inves- 
tigation in the wider fields prepared for them 
by great writers, to whom the author of this 
acknowledges her obligation. Students and 
readers of books upon mysticism or occult- 
ism meet with frequent reference to the ob- 
jective and subjective minds, and a few words 



/ 



INTRODUCTION. 

in reference to this division of mentality or 
duality in unity may not be inappropriate. 
Also, in these days, when so much has been 
written and said about the higher and lower 
self and the various principles of man, men- 
tally and spiritually, the subject of auto-sug- 
gestion by various nomenclatures must neces- 
sarily be of deep interest. A few facts and 
ideas have, therefore, been collected in refer- 
ence to a subject of which it might seem to 
be presumption to speak were it not that 
it is permitted to us to seek for Truth, by open- 
ing our hearts and minds and giving our 
thoughts to one another in order ,that farther 
illumination may come, for while some few 
things are known much more is as a sealed 
book. 



A LITTLE STUDY OF 
THE OBJECTIVE AND 
SUBJECTIVE MIND 



s 



A LITTLE STUDY OF 
THE OBJECTIVE AND 
SUBJECTIVE MIND 

C The positive statement has been made that 
man has two minds, the subjective and. the 
objective. This may be formulated in another 
manner, by saying that there are two divisions 
of the mind, or, still another way of express- 
ing the same thing would be, that the mind 
of man has certain gifts, under some condi- 
tions, and certain other gifts, under other con- 
ditions, but the designation or definition which, 
in consulting authorities upon the subject, 
seems to have found most favor is that of the 
objective and subjective minds. 

7 



/ 



OBJECTIVE AND 

C A prominent writer upon this subject makes 
the statement, which may probably: be proven, 
that the objective rtrincf has the power of rea- 
soning by all methods, inductive and deduc- 
tive, analytic and synthetic, and that the sub- 
jective mind, while in one sense endowed with 
greater powers, is still influenced by sugges- 
tion from the objective, the subjective mind 
being incapable of inductive reasoning. Upon 
the objective plane, observing and taking into 
consideration all the myriad fo'rms about us, 
not only material but in the study of the exact 
sciences, philosophies, fete., we reason, induct- 
ively, pondering upon fectfe and causes, 
weighing and balancing them and finally de- 
ducing certain conclusions' therefrom.'- We 
take them, analyze thefn and synthetically ar- 

8 



SUBJECTIVE MIND. 

range them, and then work upon them again, 
by induction and deduction. All this occurs 
upon the objective plane, or in the objective 
mind, or, in other words, in the condition 
which we call normal. 

C That it is the normal condition of the wak- 
ing mind is undoubtedly the fact, but when 
we sleep it is decidedly another thing, for 
we can none of us believe that in sleep we 
reason. It is true that during sleep deductions 
or facts assumed by the objective mind, while 
awake and alive to the influences upon this 
material plane, are seemingly remembered or 
acted upon in dreams. 

^L I n considering a dream I think you will real- 
ize that, with the exception of those deduc- 
tions which are known to the waking mind, 

9 



/ 



OBJECTIVE AND 

nearly all else seems more in the line of vision 
than anything implying consecutive action. No 
case has been cited where any inductive reason- 
ing has occurred under such circumstances. 
Where there is consecutive action in dreams it 
may simply be inferred that the subjective 
mind, which is said to be the normal condi- 
tion during sleep, has, in waking hours, re- 
ceived the suggestion from the objective mind 
and the subjective mind, assuming control in 
sleep, acted upon it, thereby proving the power 
of auto-suggestion, which comprehends too 
wide a field to be more than touched upon in a 
limited space. 
^ Reasoning is the highest function of the nat- 
ural or objective mind. In order to reason 
upon this plane observation, by means of the 

10 



SUBJECTIVE MIND. 

physical senses, is first required, but the sub- 
jective mind knows by other means than the 
physical senses. It is the seat of intuition and 
emotions and the "store-house of memory." 
To quote from a noted write**, "the objective 
mind is the function of the physical brain, 
while the subjective is of the soul."^ 

C Natural or objective mind cannot be controlled 
against reason, positive knowledge or the evi- 
dence of the senses, while the subjective is 
influenced by suggestion. A curious fact in 
reference to this which has heen frequently 
observed is that the subjective mind may be 
quite as susceptible to the suggestions of its 
own objective as to that of another. Of course 
the relativity of^this varies in different cases. 

C,The objective mind reaches its highest devel- 

1 1 



OBJECTIVE AND 

opment in reasoning, which is essential to the 
needs of the material. For the statement that 
the subjective is independent of the physical 
senses reference may be made to such writers 
as Beasley, DuPrei, Hudson, etc. 
C Just here I would like to say that, in these 
latter days, I often hear students of mysticism, 
and one in particular, say: "I cannot just ex- 
plain how I came to know this, but I know it 
in the back of my head." This is simply a 
term which he uses, as do others, in an effort 
to express something' not exactly explainable 
upon material lines, and it would seem that 
this is an action, owing? to developing spiritual 
powers, of the subjective mind or its attribute, 
intuition, especially as some of the statements 
thus made have been proven correct, and while 

12 



SUBJECTIVE MIND. 

in other instances their correctness has, thus 
far, remained unsettled they have not yet been 
proven false. It is only due to the gentleman 
to whom I refer, and due still more to our just 
consideration of these mystic truths, to state 
that, upon the objective plane, he is a learned 
man and capable of close reasoning. His in- 
tellectual insight and information in relation 
to these matters is extended. Still I some- 
times hear him and others speak in this way 
of knowledge which has come to them, appar- 
ently, without study, and then I am reminded 
of the words of the Master, who so many 
years ago walked the plain? <>f Galilee, who 
came to show us how to live and, if need be, 
how to die, when He said, "Except ye become 
as little children ye cannot en^er the Kingdom 

13 



OBJECTIVE AND 

of Heaven. " In other word? ,- we must come 
to the full realization that all material knowl- 
edge is as naught compared with the inspira- 
tion and guidance of the Divvne Spirit. This 
we may hope for and receive if we cultivate 
that pure and child-like receptivity of mind 
which His precepts continually teach. 
C It has been said before that, however phenom- 
enal the exploits of the subjective mind may 
be, while it never reasons inductively it is 
often deductive or syllogistic, or 2 in other 
words, it never classifies or reasons up to prin- 
ciples, but will express a general principle or 
even reason back to inference. Argument is 
possible only in the objective state, as the sub- 
jective is immediately confused or upset by it. 
It acts under suggestion and without law and 

H 



SUBJECTIVE MIND. 

is satisfied that it knows and cannot endure 
doubt. Hence the especial inexpediency of 
the slightest leaning towards argument in any 
direction, at times or places, where spiritual, 
enlightenment is sought for. 
C,The memory of the subjective mind is remark- 
able, We have all of us undoubtedly had 
opportunities to know of instances where facts 
or words, songs, etc., long ?go acquired and 
seemingly forgotten, would come to the sur- 
face again in delirium, insanity or some other 
abnormal condition of the objective mind. By 
abnormal condition is meant « here it is in any 
way clouded or in abeyance. A sudden and 
unexplainable remembrance of some fact of 
importance, apparently long since forgotten, 
and perhaps at the time the knowledge of it 

15 



OBJECTIVE AND 

was acquired deemed of little account, coming 
to the surface when the mind has been under 
the influence of some deep emotion, has some- 
times resulted in great good. On the other 
hand, it is by no means an unheard-of inci- 
dent for distracted friends to stand by the side 
of some delicate-minded and good woman 
whose life has been so hedged in that it would 
seem impossible that even a thought of any- 
thing save the highest and n' blest could ever 
have crossed her mind, and yet their ears have 
been shocked and their hearts torn by fearful 
words, or perhaps even blasphemy, from the 
pure lips whose action was no longer under 
the control of the objective mind. This can 
only be accounted for upon the ground that at 
some time the sensitive ears and delicate ob- 

16 



SUBJECTIVE MIND. 

jective mind had been unexpectedly assailed, 
perhaps upon the street or some other public 
place, in the overhearing of such language and 
the shocked subjective mind, the "storehouse 
of memory/' had retained it. When delirium 
clouded the objective, which, even had one 
trace of such recollection remained therein, 
would have been capable of reasoning and reg- 
ulating it, the subjective, having preserved all 
the more vivid impression, owing to the pain- 
fulness of the shock at the time it was made, 
being in the abeyance of the powers of the 
subjective in a position to take control, brings 
it to the surface. This causes us to consider 
the danger to which we are all, more or less, 
exposed as we go on our way through life, 
of receiving impressions which we should be 
very unwilling to retain in "the storehouse of 



OBJECTIVE AND 

memory," liable to manifest when least ex- 
pected or desired. Let us, therefore, who 
know something of these laws and the powers 
which we possess, ever strive, lifting our 
thoughts in aspiration, that only the highest 
and best may find a resting place, either in 
the objective or the subjective minds. Thus 
we may, day by day, hour by hour, and mo- 
ment by moment, come more and more into 
that illumination which heralds the perfect 
day. 
CThe memory of the objective mind, being an 
action of the physical brain, may be de- 
stroyed in various ways, such as illness, men- 
tal or physical over-exertion, grief, etc., but 
the memory of the subjective can never be 
destroyed. There is always evidence of this 

18 



SUBJECTIVE MIND. 

fact, just as long as the physical retains the 
power of expression. The action of the mem- 
ory of the objective mind often requires effort 
and is really more appropriately designated as 
recollection. Locke has expressed it as fol- 
lows : "When an idea again recurs, without 
the operation of the like object on the external 
g memory, it is remembrance; if it is sought 
after by the mind and, with endeavor, found 
and brought to view, it is recollection. " An- 
other has said that "the subjective mind is, 
at once, the storehouse of memory and the 
source of inspiration, limited as to its methods 
and powers of reasoning, and at the same time 
subject to the imperial control of the objective 
mind." 
C Were the subjective to control the objective 

19 



OBJECTIVE AND 

in relation to the objective world, since it holds 
one idea until another is presented or sug- 
gested to it, and it is also amenable to sug- 
gestions from more than one source, it is plain- 
ly to be seen that such control might result in 
a distortion of the affairs of this world upon 
the natural or objective plane, and would, in 
all probability, do so in nine <;ases out of ten. 
The reasoning powers and material knowledge 
of the objective mind are requisite upon the 
material plane. When it is overbalanced by 
the subjective irresponsibility follows, and if 
to* a sufficient degree then insanity. When 
the two act and react harmoniously it is be- 
lieved that a state which is very near perfec- 
tion wi-11 result. This we may not know, as 
few, if any, have ever experienced it. 

20 



SUBJECTIVE MIND. 

C. The reasoning powers of the objective, with 
its capability for the acquirement of extended 
knowledge, combined with the marvelous mem 
ory of the subjective and its syllogistic meth- 
ods, and the cotemporary action of the two, 
neither dominating the other, would indeed en- 
gender a power to which we are thus far stran- 
gers. The predominance of the subjective is 
indicated by eccentricity, but, on the other 
hand, when the objective controls, then comes 
materialism, greater or less, according to the 
degree of the domination. Macaulay has rec- 
ognized this in his essay on Milton, 
and in this essay he also refers to' the 
relatively subjective mind in children. Chil- 
dren will fly, in great excitement and even ter- 
ror, before the threatened attack of a savage 

21 



OBJECTIVE AND 

wild beast personated by one of their own num- 
ber, and in this connection I would say that it 
is not difficult to demonstrate in the same man- 
ner the liability of grown people to the tem- 
porary domination of the subjective mind, and 
it is by no means the least intellectual who are 
the most easily affected, as will be found if 
the experiment is tried. It \s just as liable, 
also, to be one who regards himself or herself 
as entirely dominated by the objective mind, 
or, in other words, by reason upon the material- 
plane. Have you never known of any one 
who, although fully realizing the non-existence 
of some dreaded condition, and in spite of the 
fact that in all reason and common sense there 
was no probability that such a condition could 
ever exist, nevertheless lived m constant fear 

22 



SUBJECTIVE MIND. 

of it? This is just as likely to occur in the 
case of one who acknowledges only the mate- 
rial plane as in that of one who knows some- 
thing of, the subjective. 

C, Socrates, in his "Apology to the Athenians/' 
has expressed similar views to those of Ma- 
caulay, and in the "Autocrat of the Breakfast 
Table" Oliver Wendell Holmes recognizes the 
wonderful memory of the subjective mind, in 
saying that "the unconscious repetition of an- 
other's words is the snare o' the poet's foot- 
steps." 

C If the memory in such a ^ase were in the 

objective mind with it would also exist the 

knowledge that the words were acquired from 

* an outside source, and this innocent plagiarism 

could not occur; but the subjective, playing 

23 



OBJECTIVE AND 

upon the objective or overshadowing it, the 
words might come to the surface without the 
knowledge of their having been acquired in the 
objective. When the memoiy is in the ob- 
jective, even if the source from whence an idea 
comes has been forgotten, we do not fancy it 
to be original with ourselves, but we say, 
"Those lines are very familiar, how strange 
that I cannot remember the author," and 
straightway we cudgel our brains until, per- 
chance, we recollect, or it may be that we are 
forced to resort to some authority upon the 
subject, but in no case do we ever mistake 
those lines for our own, as we might do were 
they floated in upon us from the subjective 
plane, where the only memory of them existed. < 
While the subjective mind has so many won- 

24 



SUBJECTIVE MIND. 

derful powers the danger in permitting it to 
overshadow the objective is that without the 
reasoning powers of the objective it may go 
astray. The subjective is also, in another way, 
dependent upon the objective, \n that many of 
the facts preserved in its wonderful memory 
must first be acquired and assimilated in the 
objective. Hudson makes the statement that 
"no one without objective education may be- 
come a great artist, poet, orator or statesman, 
but that the subjective faculties alone have 
produced wonderful mathematicians and musi- 
cians." 
<L Instances are on record where lightning cal- 
culators who could reply to questions in addi- 
tion, subtraction and multiplication with phe- 
nomenal quickness and correctness could not 

25: 



OBJECTIVE AND 

explain the methods by which these feats were 
accomplished. It is not so many years since 
Blind Tom was before the public but that 
many of us have heard of him and some may 
have listened to him. In his case it was be- 
lieved that the physical brain was incapable of 
receiving objective education, and one writer 
has said that "such powers are not given to 
the objective senses, but must be inherent in 
the soul and beyond the range of objective ex- 
planation or comprehension. "' Real music re- 
quires the action of the subjective. Musical 
technicalities! may be studied and surmounted 
upon the objective plane, but without the co- 
operation of the subjective the want will be 
manifest. 
C. Inductive reasoning is an inquiry for knowl- 

26 



SUBJECTIVE MIND. 

edge in relation to something of which we are 
ignorant. It is not God-lite, because God 
knows without reasoning, but of the earth or 
material plane. It is the finest attribute of 
finite mind, but finite nevertheless. It guides 
us in the physical, but when the physical is 
laid aside and the eyes open to the real, and 
•ruth is revealed, it is no longer needed. "For 
now I see through a glass, darkly, but therj,, 
face to face. Now I know in part, but then 
shall I know even as also I am known." 
C Being incapable of argument, the subjective 
mind, in the presence of scepticism or doubt, 
ceases to demonstrate its wonderful powers. 
All students upon this plane have, by expe- 
rience in a greater or less degree, realized this 
truth. When the powers of the subjective 

27 



OBJECTIVE AND 

mind are ' developing, or perchance in some 
degree developed, and some beautiful illumi- 
nation or grand thought is vouchsafed, and we, 
perhaps all too timidly, havf given it utter- 
ance to some one who may, we think, fully 
comprehend and perhaps be able to supplement 
with something more in the same direction how 
great is the consternation and how bitter the 
pain if that one, who' is perhaps as earnest, 
and we may believe far in advance of our- 
selves, assumes the hard sceptical manner, and 
with stn apparently high moral satisfaction in 
the discharge of duty demand our meaning. 
We cannot blame these persons, but we are 
by such experience taught the lesson that, in 
contemplation of the great goodness and un- 
selfishness, and often heroic endeavor on the 

28 



SUBJECTIVE MIND. 

part of some earnest people for good to others 
and themselves, we to whom even a ray of 
this sweet illumination is given, perhaps quite 
undeserved, cannot value it too highly, and 
should express our gratitude to the loving 
source from 1 whence it comes by receiving it 
with all possible reverence and tenderness. 
When Christ was born in the manger, not- 
withstanding the roughness of the surround- 
ings and the absence of many things condu- 
cive to material comfort, no greater joy or 
worship could have attended His advent had 
it taken place amid the most affluent circum- 
stances. So when this birth takes place in our 
hearts let us earnestly and reverently cherish 
the newly awakened soul and not press' its 
wings too heavily or analytically, and above 

29 



OBJECTIVE AND 

all, let us not murder the awakening souls of 
others, by unkind, hard or doubting question, 
even if the expression thereof may seem to 
us to be crude and inadequate. Even so may 
ours seem to others. 
C, Life is a mystery and can any if us state, spe- 
cifically, why we are here? If it is for the 
purpose of developing these soul germs, which 
are of the Divine, how carefully must we go 
lest we retard another's progress ! Meanwhile 
We must constantly seek to feed our own by 
sincere endeavor for holy thought and action, 
with no desire to be or seem greater than an- 
other. In ascending this ladder we can always 
look up and see others before us, and we know 
that many more have gone even beyond our 
seeing, and the very one whom we may think 

30 



SUBJECTIVE MIND. 

is still in the rear may yet be far in advance. 
Still we are not ungratefully to underrate the 
privileges which are our own, but to open our 
hearts and minds to the sunshine of His favor. 
Much more might be said in relation to 
the objective and subjective minds, and 
in this limited space justice can be done 
neither to the subject nor the writer. 
If, however, interest has in any degree 
been quickened, or a desire been aroused for 
further knowledge or research into this sub- 
ject, believe me that the reward will come in 
the experience that will demonstrate how in- 
sight in relation to the powers of the objective 
and subjective minds and their relations to one 
another may subserve to development and un- 
derstanding in the line of Spiritual Truth. 

3 1 



J. B. HULING, PRINTER 

200 CLARK STREET 

CHICAGO 



APR 27 1903 



